Monday, September 8, 2008

On The Move Again?

We have been happily performing our liposuctions at Paragon Day Surgery International. Truly I love it there. However, it has been one shock after another for the last few invoices. They have implemented one surcharge after another without informing us first. From a 3% nursing surcharge, to linen fee, to recovery surcharge on Saturdays, use of Bair Hugger, plus a load of hidden items classed as consumables and disposables. Each surcharge works out to be in the $50 range. Add these together and the bill is inflated by 10-20% easily. Have we passed on the increment to our patients? No... We don't find out till after all payments have been settled that these new charges have come in. And our sales consultant is more often than not unaware that these changes have taken place.

Novena Surgery has been very aggressive in trying to lure us over to them. However, their prices remain higher than Paragon DSI, so there's absolutely no reason to move.

A surprise alternative surfaced last week. I anaesthetised a lady for caesarean section at Mt Alvernia. This was my first visit to Mt A OT in over a year! I got to talking to the nurses and particularly Sister Ee who is in charge of the OT. She welcomes us with open arms, and came back with a very reasonable quote.

Mt Alvernia OT is very nice, having been totally refurbished fairly recently. It's a little further from UE Square, but I'm sure our patients wouldn't mind hospital-grade operating theatre facilities at a more affordable price. Certainly our prices would have to be revised upwards if we stayed on at Paragon. I can absorb $50, but not multiples of $50 with no end in sight!

So the arrangements are being made as we speak. The machine will be moved to Mount Alvernia on Thursday and we will try our new locale for a while. Hopefully it will be home sweet home.

Please submit your votes in the new poll in the right hand column. I'd be interested to see where the majority wish to have their liposuction at.

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